God of War: Ascension gets 1v1 multiplayer mode

Sony Santa Monica has issued a title update for God of War: Ascension which adds a new multiplayer mode – the versus duel Bout of Honour.

According to the PlayStation Blog, Bout of Honour is a strict 1 v 1 mode which excludes chests, fountains, world weapons and relics – it’s a game of skill alone. The only concession is that magic regenerates very slowly over time.

The update also adds four new maps especially for the new mode: Canyons of Kirra, Chamber of the Flame, Landing at Delos and Streets of Sparta.

There’s also a new four player map – The Whirlpool of Alecto. A familiar sight to those who’ve played through the campaign, The Whirlpool of Alecto hosts a leviathan and elevated terrain sections.

Along with these developments, the patch also introduces some balancing tweaks, including the removal of Infinites, the nerfing of some overpowered weapons, and changes to damage output of 100% combos.

Check out a trailer and some screens from Bout of Honour below, and connect your PlayStation 3 to the PSN to grab the free update.